I am not, in fact,
certain that this is what it claims. There are, it seems,
knock-of copies of this pen in circulation, a situation which almost
defies belief since the truly minted objects are among the least
expensive pens ever made. I've had this one apart, and I'm pretty
sure it's genuine; the guts are very much the same as those on a Parker
"51" Special, although the collector is
of a cheaper plastic than the Lucite which Parker used.
I have a dumb fondness for this pen, as it's clearly in the mold of the
bottom-tier pens of the first half of the last century. You need
a pen, you can't spend anything like real money on it, and we're happy
to provide. It is functional, not notably scratchy, and holds
it's ink nicely when in storage. For the money spent, it would be
folly to ask for any more. There is one small design element
which goes beyond the original model, too-- the middle of the "clutch
ring" is actually a tiny ink window.
The filling mechanism on this budget model is not all it needs to be.
On the surface a copy of the aerometric filler, the pressure bar
is so flimsy that it can't compress the sac properly-- as this is a
trick Hero has been able to do in other pens,
this is the source of some misgivings as to authenticity.
Happily, the whole sac guard comes off easily, allowing the user
to squish the sac directly. This is, in essence, a bulb filler.
Specifications: Fine (but very
wet) steel point.
Aerometric (in theory) filler. 13.5 cm long capped, 13.9 cm
posted.
Condition: Brand new. I don't expect the
materials to hold up cosmetically, though.
Repairs:
Pulled hood to examine guts and try to reduce flow,
Location: My collection
For
Sale: Yes, with some hedging. At $3.00, I'm not too
concerned about taking anyone for a ride-- it's certainly worth that
much. However, shipping
drives the cost up to the point that I'd feel guilty about taking so
much money of someone for this pen, even if I'm not keeping it.
So, if you live in Regina, we can arrange to meet for a
face-to-face exchange, but if you don't... well, I won't deny you, but
think hard about whether you really want one. I actually have
several, in black, green and burgundy. If you want one,
contact me at:
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